Job 8

1 Then answered Bildad the Shuhite, and said,

Then Baldad the Sauchite answered, and said,

2 How long wilt thou speak these things? and how long shall the words of thy mouth be like a strong wind?

How long will you speak these things, [how long shall] the breath of your mouth [be] abundant in words?

3 Doth God pervert judgment? or doth the Almighty pervert justice?

Will the Lord be unjust when he judges; or will he that has made all things pervert justice?

4 If thy children have sinned against him, and he hath cast them away for their transgression;

If your sons have sinned before him, he has cast them away because of their transgression.

5 If thou wouldest seek to God early, and make thy supplication to the Almighty;

But be you early in prayer to the Lord Almighty.

6 If thou wert pure and upright; surely now he would awake for thee, and make the habitation of thy righteousness prosperous.

If you are pure and true, he will listen to your supplication, and will restore to you the habitation of righteousness.

7 Though thy beginning was small, yet thy latter end should greatly increase.

Though then your beginning should be small, yet your end should be unspeakably great.

8 For enquire, I pray thee, of the former age, and prepare thyself to the search of their fathers:

For ask of the former generation, and search diligently among the race of [our] fathers:

9 (For we are but of yesterday, and know nothing, because our days upon earth are a shadow: )

(for we are of yesterday, and know nothing; for our life upon the earth is a shadow: )

10 Shall they not teach thee, and tell thee, and utter words out of their heart?

shall not these teach you, and report [to you], and bring out words from [their] heart?

11 Can the rush grow without mire? can the flag grow without water?

Does the rush flourish without water, or shall the flag grow up without moisture?

12 While it is still green, and not cut down, it withereth before any other herb.

When it is yet on the root, and [though] it has not been cut down, does not any herb wither before it has received moisture?

13 So are the paths of all that forget God; and the hypocrite’s hope shall perish:

Thus then shall be the end of all that forget the Lord: for the hope of the ungodly shall perish.

14 Whose confidence shall be cut off, and whose trust shall be a spider’s web.

For his house shall be without inhabitants, and his tent shall prove a spider's web.

15 He shall lean upon his house, but it shall not stand: he shall hold it fast, but it shall not endure.

If he should prop up his house, it shall not stand: and when he has taken hold of it, it shall not remain.

16 He is green before the sun, and his branch shooteth forth in his garden.

For it is moist under the sun, and his branch shall come forth out of his dung-heap.

17 His roots are wrapped about the heap, and seeth the place of stones.

He lies down upon a gathering of stones, and shall live in the mist of flints.

18 If he shall be destroyed from his place, then it shall deny him, saying, I have not seen thee.

If [God] should destroy [him], his place shall deny him. Hast you not seen such things,

19 Behold, this is the joy of his way, and out of the earth shall others grow.

that such is the overthrow of the ungodly? and out of the earth another shall grow.

20 Behold, God will not cast away a perfect man, neither will he help the evildoers:

For the Lord will by no means reject the harmless man; but he will not receive any gift of the ungodly.

21 Till he shall fill thy mouth with laughing, and thy lips with rejoicing.

But he will fill with laughter the mouth of the sincere, and their lips with thanksgiving.

22 They that hate thee shall be clothed with shame; and the dwelling place of the wicked shall come to nought.

But their adversaries shall clothe themselves with shame; and the habitation of the ungodly shall perish.